With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the San Jose Sharks, a team reeling after they blew a three-games-to-none first-round lead over the eventual Cup winners from Los Angeles. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Pacific GM: Doug Wilson Head Coach: Todd McLellan 2013-14: 51-22-9 (2nd in Pacific) Playoffs: Lost in conference quarter-finals Goals For: 239 (6th) Goals Against: 193 (5th) Powerplay: 17.2% (20th) Penalty Kill: 84.9% (6th) That Was Then: The Sharksa€? 2013-14 regular season was a roaring success. Rookie Tomas Hertl got the party started on Oct. 8, scoring four goals in his third NHL game, capping the night off with one of the goals of the year. That win came as part of a six-game winning streak to start the year. The Sharks rolled through October, finishing the month 10-1-2. The regular season rolled on in similar fashion. The Sharksa€? only real spot of trouble came in December when they lost six of eight between the 5th and the 19th. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau provided their usual strong play, both reaching 70 points or more. Joe Pavelski was a revelation, scoring a career-high 41 goals. That mark was good for third in the league. The Sharks made the playoff s for their 10th consecutive season, topping 100 points for the seventh time over that span. Though unable to chase down the Anaheim Ducks for first in the Pacific Division, the Sharks enjoyed a strong finish, buoyed by the aforementioned trio as well as Logan Couture. Then came the playoffs and a creepy, familiar feeling. The Sharks roared out to a 3-0 series lead over their state rivals from Los Angeles but were unable to finish them off. Out-gunned 6-3 in Game 4, the Sharks let the Kings get off the mat. Jonathan Quick shut the door from there, allowing just two total goals over the final three games. The Sharks became just the fourth team in NHL history to blow a 3-0 lead. One storyline that emerged from the collapse was a lack of faith in goaltender Antti Niemi. The former Cup-winner was pulled in Games 4 and 5, leading the Sharks to start back-up Alex Stalock in Game 6. The team went back to Niemi in Game 7 but by that point momentum was clearly with the Kings. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 3.50 2.05 8.5% .928 56.1% .775 21-41 2.86 2.76 7.4% .919 54.0% .643 42-62 2.33 2.19 6.3% .917 54.8% .619 63-82 3.00 2.35 7.8% .925 54.3% .675 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Sensational start to the year; dominant in all aspects. Games 21-41: A 5-1 shootout record, and strong possession, inflated the record of otherwise mediocre play. Games 42-62: Solid possession kept Sharks winning during low-scoring stretch. Games 63-82: Percentages bounced back and Sharks finished the regular season strong. Key Additions: LW Tye McGinn, LW John Scott Key Subtractions: D Dan Boyle, RW Martin Havlat, LW John McCarthy, D Brad Stuart This Is Now: The Sharks need more than regular season success. Since acquiring Thornton from Boston, the Sharks have won four division titles, made the playoffs every year and have won at least one series in six of their nine trips. Thornton himself has posted 740 points in 675 career games with the Sharks and a€“ believe it or not a€“ ranks 20th amongst active NHLers in playoff points-per-game over that span, ahead of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Corey Perry and Justin Williams. Yet, he finds himself stripped of his captaincy entering this season. Another long-time Sharks vet is gone entirely, as Dan Boyle joined the New York Rangers as an unrestricted free agent. The teama€?s focus may be shifting towards Pavelski and Couture and away from Marleau and Thornton, who have endured all of the playoff disappointments suffered since the 2005-06. However, the two remain not only parts of the team, but integral cogs in its offence. The team has enjoyed a lot of regular season success under the current regime, but how much time is left on the clock in San Jose for the likes of Thornton, Marleau, GM Doug Wilson and coach Todd McLellan. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Tomas Hertl Joe Thornton Joe Pavelski Patrick Marleau Logan Couture Tommy Wingels Matt Nieto James Sheppard Tyler Kennedy Tye McGinn Andrew Desjardins Mike Brown John Scott Adam Burish Freddie Hamilton Barclay Goodrow Chris Tierney Raffi Torres Defence Left Right Marc-Edouard Vlasic Brent Burns Matt Irwin Justin Braun Scott Hannan Jason Demers Mirco Mueller Taylor Fedun Konrad Abeltshauser Dylan DeMelo Goaltenders Antti Niemi Alex Stalock Troy Grosenick Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Mirco Mueller Like a fine Swiss watch, there is a precision to Mircoa€?s game. Positioning is sound but it is predicated on the understanding of how to best position yourself to take advantage in the game. Defensively, he becomes very difficult to break down. He recognizes opportunities to transition and with a strong skating base, very good awareness and vision along with pin point passing, he is able to alleviate pressure quickly and allow his team to move forward and attack. He has a subtlety to his competitiveness in that he moves opponents off their marks in a manner that looks like he is a€?body glide.a€? His game shows signs of being able to expand which would move him from category of very solid player to top two defenseman. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Brent Burns Given how effective Burns has been as a forward with the Sharks, its fair to be skeptical of his move back to defence, but hes been productive in the past while playing on the blue line. Last season brought a career-high 48 points for Burns, playing on Joe Thorntons wing, but hes had 46 and 43-point seasons playing defence for the Minnesota Wild. The Sharks lost their primary puck-mover from defence, Dan Boyle, to free agency, so there ought to be ample opportunity for Burns to play big minutes and find the score sheet enough along the way. Markus Hannikainen Jersey . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts. Nick Foligno Jersey . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season. http://www.officialbluejacketsfanstore. ... ts-jersey/. But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents. Custom Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor. Mark Letestu Jersey . You can watch all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Pineda won his second straight start last Wednesday against Chicago, as he held the Cubs to just four hits over six scoreless innings to run his record to 2-0, while lowering his ERA to 1. SINGAPORE -- Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel recorded yet another start-to-finish win at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday to further extend his lead in the Formula One championship. The German was in a class of his own under the Marina Bay lights, winning by a massive 32.6 seconds over Fernando Alonso and boosting his championship lead on the Ferrari driver from 53 points to 60 with six races remaining. "We are in a very good position. To be honest I am not looking at the championship too much," Vettel said. "I am just enjoying it at the moment. Days like today and yesterday are what it is all about." Lotus Kimi Raikkonen was third, ahead of the Mercedes pair Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton in fourth and fifth respectively. Starting in pole, Vettel lost the lead at the first corner to Rosberg but took it back as the Mercedes driver ran wide at turn two. Even a safety car period just before half distance, which eroded his 12-second lead, could not prevent another Vettel victory. "The start was quite hairy, Nico had a good start, but fortunately he went a little too deep and I was able to get him back," Vettel said. "With the safety car, it was difficult but we came back ... we had very, very good pace." Red Bull teammate Mark Webber had sharply different fortunes in the race. As the Australian was threatening Raikkonen in the closing stages, he experienced an engine failure that saw him pull off the track with his car in flames on the closing lap. Webber hitched a ride back to the pits on the sideboard of Alonsos Ferrari, and that was enough for both drivers to receive a reprimand from stewards as three cars had to take evasive action as the Ferrari stopped and the Red Bull man clambered on board. For Webber, the reprimand has serious consequences because it is his third of the season, meaning he will receive a 10-place penalty on the grid at the next race in South Korea. Alonso was in a generous mood after an impressive showing. The Spaniard got a superb start, going around the outside of several drivers to vault from seventh to third after two corners, and capitalized on the emergence of the safety car by pitting for hiis final stop, taking on a set of the harder tires which he drove for the last 36 of 61 laps.dddddddddddd "We knew we didnt have the pace today, we had to invent something," Alonso said. "I had a good start and a different strategy ... it tastes like a victory to us." Raikkonens participation in the race had been in doubt due to a back injury that affected him badly in Saturdays qualifying, but the Finn sliced his way through the field in the latter half of the race to move up from 10th to a podium finish. "Luckily not too much (pain during the race) but now, afterwards, its not 100 per cent but I have time to rest and get it right," Raikkonen said. "Third place -- we could not have expected any more today." Ferraris Felipe Massa was sixth, ahead of the McLaren pair Jenson Button and Sergio Perez in seventh and eighth respectively, with Saubers Nico Hulkenberg and Force Indias Adrian Sutil completing the top ten. Vettels victory was his third in a row in Singapore, his seventh of the season, and 33rd of his career, moving him out of a tie with Alonso and into outright fourth place on the all-time list behind Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. Vettel also won from pole in the previous F1 race in Italy and took the lead on the opening lap of the Belgian GP, meaning he has now led effectively from start to finish in three successive races. With such dominance over his dispirited rivals, only an extraordinary turnaround can prevent Vettel winning a fourth-straight championship, joining Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio as the only men to achieve that feat. Ferrari had said prior to the race that the result in Singapore would determine whether to continue development of the car or to turn all resources to the radically redesigned 2014 vehicle. Alonsos second placing will likely be enough to keep Ferraris mind on this year, but the Spaniard was realistic about his fading title hopes. "The gap is still increasing every weekend and now its 60 points," Alonso said. "We need to be honest with ourselves. We need a lot of luck every weekend if we are one second (per lap) off their pace." cheap falcons jerseyscheap ravens jerseyscheap bills jerseyscheap bears jerseyscheap bengals jerseyscheap cowboys jerseyscheap lions jerseyscheap texans jerseyscheap colts jerseyscheap jaguars jerseyscheap chiefs jerseyscheap rams jerseyscheap dolphins jerseyscheap vikings jerseyscheap saints jerseyscheap giants jerseyscheap jets jerseyscheap eagles jerseyscheap steelers jerseyscheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '